Seraphine

thirty six

Nico 

Nico's blood was boiling before Damien had even pulled into the driveway because Luca was being weird. Now that he could see her, could see the damage--

He'll burn the world down to ashes in her name. 

He can barely breathe when she locks eyes with him after being lifted out of the car by Damien, and though he assumed the worst earlier--that she was dead--this, somehow, was way worse. 

His perfect little dove had been shattered by the one person she'd trusted most. 

Nico has to bite down on his knuckles to keep from punching something, someone (preferably Luca) as he follows the trio back inside the estate. His eyes linger on Seraphine's quivering form under the damp blanket before he turns back to find Enzo looking as lost as he felt. 

Lost. That's all anyone around him ever seemed to feel now. 

Nico places a hand on Enzo's shoulder and squeezes, giving his partner as much reassurance as he can in the moment. He knows it's not enough, but it's all he can give. 

He turns back around and goes to the kitchen, standing off to the right as Damien places Seraphine gently on their large dining table. 

The small woman hisses at the contact, her bruised legs no doubt screaming at the touch of the the cold, hard surface. 

Nico clenches his fist.

The three men watch as Enzo kneels down in front of Seraphine and wipes her inner thighs clean of her blood, and Nico feels the tension in the room rise. He shrugs it off, however--now's not the time. 

Enzo pulls away from Seraphine to dispose of the bloodied rag, and Nico takes that moment to take his place in front of her. 

Nico looks at her, really looks, and his heart breaks over and over again as his eyes run over each and every injury she's sustained. It breaks one last time at the sight of her wavering smile. 

"Seraphine, my dove," he starts, lifting a hand to brush his fingers through her hair, careful not to catch any knots. "It kills me to see you like this," he finally murmurs, and Seraphine drops her gaze in shame, trying to pull away from him. 

Nico's hand slips down to her chin, and he grasps it firmly enough to tilt her head up to look at him again. 

"This is not your fault, Seraphine." His voice is sharp, making her flinch, and for a moment he's guilty and wants to take it back, but then he realizes that she believes that it is her fault. 

God, when I get my hands on that fucking--

"Darling, Nico's right. None of this was your fault," Damien steps closer to Nico, who shuffles so Seraphine can see both of them clearly, and she goes to shake her head but Nico's grip on her chin doesn't allow her to. 

"I--" 

"Seraphine." Luca's voice cuts through hers, and a whimper escapes Seraphine's throat. Her trembling hands come up to grasp Nico's wrist and tug, and he lets her pull his hand away from her face so she can drop it into her own hands. 

"I deser--" 

"Don't you dare," Nico scolds, his rage coming back to the surface. Seraphine shakes her head. 

Silence falls over the five of them like a thick blanket, and the four men are just staring at their broken goddess, and then each other, and then at her once more. Nico sighs and lifts his hand again, dragging a single finger across the back of her hands in a feather-light touch. 

"Why don't we get you into a bath, dove. Would that make you feel a bit better?" He asks gently, and Seraphine shifts a couple of her fingers so her blue gaze peeks out from her makeshift shield. After a moment of staring, she nods, and his lips quirk up briefly. 

"Alright. Let's get you upstairs. Same place as last time?" He offers, opening his arms for her, and Seraphine nods again, pulling her arms away from her face and leaning forward to loop them around his neck. 

"Nico..." Damien trails off, and though Nico can sense Damien's hesitance at letting Seraphine out of his sight, he knows Damien better. He needs something to do to take his mind off of his caged rage. 

They all do. 

"Damien, can you fix us some dinner? Something light. Luca, you wanna go fix up her room? And Enzo, come with me." Nico hands out tasks, something Luca would usually do, and though there's a moment of pause, each man goes to do what he'd ordered. 

Luca steps up to Seraphine, who is now sitting bridal style in Nico's arms, and leans down to press a kiss to her hairline. 

He pulls away slowly, and Nico watches Seraphine's eyes as they drift from his lips up to his eyes; eyes that were filled with tears over her not so long ago. 

"I..." Luca starts, and Nico's eyes widen. Is he going to...?

Nico knows it's soon, way too soon, but a love confession might bring Seraphine into a different headspace. 

But, Luca shakes his head and says instead, "welcome home, Seraphine." 

Nico lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and turns on his heel once Luca steps back, leading Enzo to the foyer and up the stairs. 

The trio is silent as they climb the stairs, Seraphine swaying in Nico's arms and occasionally sighing. 

Enzo's the first one to break the silence when Nico steps into his room, and then the bathroom, only to find the tub empty. 

"Luca drew the tub, it'll be in his room," he muses aloud, and Seraphine glances up at him. 

"Luca...drew me a bath?" She questions, her voice soft, and Nico looks down at her. He smiles sadly as Enzo leads them to Luca's room.

"Seraphine, he was the most distraught I'd ever seen him. He was shaking." At this bit of information, Seraphine's eyes widen, and Nico almost smirks at the comedic effect. But then he remembers why Luca was out of place, and he can't bring himself to lift his lips. 

"Come, dove. Let's get you cleaned up."